Lauren:
Struggling to channel Kenzi's "Dr. Speculum", Lauren laid on the ground, refusing to break eye contact with The Morrigan.
When did it get so hard for me to reign in my emotions? Clench the jaw and raise the eyebrows, it will concentrate your focus on your physical characteristics rather than any emotional upheaval. Priorities are treatment for your wound, making sure the guards have not sustained permanent harm, then getting away from the Fae. Right.
As she spoke to herself, the woman above her rolled her eyes and turned a bit in dismissal, her smirk still visible to the blonde on the ground.
"You were a very bad little pet and ran away, weren't you? That does of course mean that you are fair game for the Dark, and I must say, I am impressed by the way you dispatched of the wolf and that pesky bartender. Come Doctor, heel, and we can discuss terms of your…employment with the Dark."
Lauren took a deep breath, attempting to clench her jaw through the pain and explained in a croaky voice, the pain causing her eyes to harden further in defiance as she stared up in the woman.
"I have not and will not agree to any terms of service with you. I left the Fae for a reason, and being fed on while being treated like a puppy is not my idea of a decent living. Second, I am currently unable to…heel…as you put it, as I am currently in need of medical care. So unless your cronies move me to that operating table and remove the bullet from my back before it moves and permanently injures a vertebrae, I'm afraid you will have to do without my company for now."
"My my, when did the Ash's meek little crony grow a backbone? Could it be that sleeping with the succu-cunt gave you ideas above your station? You do know that I can have you executed for your actions, so do be a dear and act like the pet that you could become."
"Yes, and if you do kill me, then you will never get whatever it is you want from me. You clearly think that I am valuable to you in some way, otherwise you wouldn't have wasted your time the past five minutes – you are nothing if not efficient. Unless of course I am a much better company lying immobilized than I think. So…Morrigan…would you be so kind as to –carefully- have me brought to that table? I can give your men instructions on how to clean the area and remove the bullet. I will also need some aspirin and ice to diminish the swelling in the region.
With a quiet chuckle, the brunette turned and faced the Doctor, her expression almost bordering amusement.
Well, at least she is not infuriated. She'll hopefully wait to see how else I can entertain her before feeding off me. Keep being assertive, Lewis. Stretch your imagination just a small amount and consider her your personal harpy of a nurse. Your personal self-absorbed, petty nurse who knows how to take care of herself and can kill you in a heartbeat.
"Aren't you a spunky creature little terrier? You probably won't finish yapping until you get exactly what you want. Very well then, I will have my men take care of your…needs. But I intend to remove the bullet myself. After all, I wouldn't want to have to feed off their lack of talent if they damage my new pet, would I?"
Morrigan:
Well, isn't this a treat? Finding the lair of the human terrorists, complete with research projects that will profit the Dark, and my own little pet Doctor to play with. It will certainly aggravate the succu-bitch and the Baby Ash to see her working for me.
With a flick of the fingers, her two henchmen immediately appeared behind her. "Ben, Jerry, do be so kind as to carry the doctor to the table."
"Our names are.."
"Sweetie, I really don't care. Injure the human further, and I guarantee that you will get to feel exactly what she is – only with the added benefit of keeping my Mesmer company in the dungeons afterwards."
The human looked up at The Morrigan with an arched eyebrow, her guarded and almost superior expression at odds with her frail posture. Bemused, the Morrigan couldn't help but wondering how this slave managed to come across as confident despite the fact her life was at the Dark Leader's mercy. Evony examined the woman further, almost pleased when she finally saw a wince the moment the human was lifted.
"Now that I have you lying down, Doctor, how about a little quid pro quo?"
"Would you like me to shoot you in the back and operate on you too?"
"Although I do look forward to witnessing your penchant for pain, Doctor, I was thinking more along the lines of…I don't know…a favor for a favor."
"And that favor would be.."
"Just a tiny bit of information. And then a bit more. I'm sure you can handle that if you would like to continue to walk."
"I don't know where she is."
"How sweet. To be honest, if I were to interrogate anyone about our resident unaligned pain in my perfectly shaped ass, it wouldn't be you. Her human friend, perhaps. Or the wolf, or even my wayward Valkyrie. But all reports say that you…you are merely her entertainment when bored."
Lauren didn't answer for a long moment. Truth be told, the Morrigan was almost disappointed it was this easy to break her seemingly iron will. It was quite enjoyable verbally sparring with someone who had wits to match hers. After several moments, the blonde finally replied.
"Well, you certainly keep yourself apprised. And how competent are these spies if they obviously lost track of Bo? She has many wonderful qualities, but subtlety is not one of them."
Point for the doctor. The succubus is a sore subject, but this human's mind could be an asset to me. But how to convince the light's toy that the dark is a much better use of her time than playing doctor for humans? A shame I didn't bother to have my spies uncover Doctor Do-good's less obvious desires.
"Hmm, good enough to uncover your dirty little secrets Doctor. What should I call you by the way? You have had SO many names over the years it's been hard to keep track."
After a noticeably brief pause, Lauren replied, "You can call me ready to have this bullet removed from my back. There should be gloves in the cabinet to my right. Sterilized tweezers, gauze, and other supplies should be in a tray above the sink. Please Morrigan, be a dear and go fetch them."
Lauren:
Lauren knew that she was walking a thin line with the Morrigan, although it she did have to admit that she was enjoying one-upping the Dark Fae leader. The woman, after all, made no secret of her disdain for humans and the human champion.
Bo. I hope she is alright. I should check up on…no. She made it clear to Tamsin that I am not needed in whatever grand 'I am a savior' scheme she is devising now. We both need this clean break. If only to re-evaluate who we are.
"I have your little tools, Doctor. Now what?"
Now I hope that you choose not to scar or hurt me, and is able to remove the entire bullet. How in the world did I put myself in a situation where I am going under the Morrigan's knife and hoping for the best?
"Now you cut my shirt enough to expose the wound. Make sure that you will not have any clothing in the way. Use the swabs to disinfect the area, please be careful around the bullet hole. When you have done that, use the tweezers to remove the bullet. At this point, you may have to remove various chunks. There should be a light where you can make sure the hole is clean. Did you get all that or would you like for me to repeat it?"
Where in the world did that come from? Lauren for such a genius, you can be an idiot sometimes. Let's just hope she doesn't…OH HOLY SHIT.
Lauren was barely able to restrain herself from yelling in pain, instead whimpering and grunting as the evil tweezers dug in to her inflamed flesh, the clinking of metal on a nearby tray barely audible above the blood rushing through her own ears.
"You know, doctor, for a human, you sure seem to have a high tolerance for pain. Were you trained by the succubus? Or is she as stale in bed as she is in person?"
"That is…none of…your business. Please make sure…there is no…residual…metal…in the wound…before applying…disinfectant."
Hearing a quiet chuckle, Lauren squeezed her eyes as tightly as possible in anticipation of disinfectant entering her wounds. Surprisingly, all she felt was a brief sting, followed by the feel of gauze compressing over her skin. The Morrigan was shockingly deft in her administrations, her fingers gentle as they slid over her wounds. Clearly she has done this before.
"There now Doctor, all done. Like I said before, quid pro quo. I patch you up, you give me information."
"I…didn't agree to that."
"Ah, but I did, and really, whose opinion matters here?"
Walk the line, Lewis. Assess the situation and make your move when you can. Check off your need for medical attention and see to the humans in the facility.
"What do you want Morrigan?"
"I want that brain of yours Doctor, and you will give it to me."
Thank you to those who read my first chapter, and to those who gave encouraging words. I truly appreciate the feedback. I know dark!Lauren hasn't emerged yet, I'm thinking around Chapter 4-5 is a reasonable time frame for her to get there. As I said before, I would love to improve, so any constructive criticism is welcome - especially with regards to descriptions or characterizations.